In a distributed network, such as the Internet, data may travel from point-to-point or node-to-node. The data may often be substantiated at those points or nodes to ensure, for example, that messages containing the data are correct and accurate or that the messages' history is known. But data in transit within the network may not be substantiated, which may require duplicative and wasteful use of processing resources at subsequent points or nodes.
Where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Moreover, some of the blocks depicted in the drawings may be combined into a single function.